MMA testifies in support of wage equity push

The MMA testified on May 9 in support of a group of bills intended to close gender and racial wage gaps in the Commonwealth.

H. 1849 and its companion bill, S. 1191, would require employers in Massachusetts to disclose wage or salary ranges when hiring for a position — something that is already a widely used practice across local government.

H. 1940 and S. 1181 would require all Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reports to be collected by the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth and aggregated by the state’s Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

Like many employers, cities and towns are subject to certain federal reporting requirements, and municipalities with 100 or more employees must file reports with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. These biennial filings (EEO-4 reports) cover workforce demographic data, including data by race, ethnicity, sex, job category, and salary band.

H. 1940 and S. 1181 would create a process for the state to compile and analyze the aggregated EEOC report data. The legislation also aims to avoid any administrative burden on local officials by simply requiring the submission of any existing EEOC report to the secretary of state.

MMA President Jill Hai of the Lexington Select Board and MMA Executive Director Geoff Beckwith testified on behalf of the organization at a May 9 hearing of the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development. They highlighted the leadership being demonstrated by local officials on wage equity issues and the importance of moving these bills through the legislative process and into law this session.

The MMA was joined at the hearing by a large coalition of advocates, business leaders, local athletes, and government officials pushing for Massachusetts to be a national leader in addressing wage gaps.

The Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development is expected to issue a favorable report on the bills in the coming months.